Annie Ernaux continues to accumulate rewards. The 2022 Nobel Prize-winning novelist in literature was elected author of the year at the Publishing Trophies, presented Monday evening in Paris by Weekly Books.
The author of The Event was elected by the magazine’s subscribers, ahead of other successful authors such as Amélie Nothomb, Giuliano Da Empoli (The Mage of the Kremlin) or Guillaume Musso. “This prize has great value for me because it is awarded by the entire book chain,” she said in a pre-recorded message, broadcast during the ceremony at the Odéon theater. To ensure the success of the books, “I know that there is all this power, this community around me”, she greeted.
Pierre Fourniaud, editor of the year
In total, during this fourth edition, 16 trophies were awarded. That of the publisher of the year rewarded Pierre Fourniaud, former bookseller who founded in 2008 an independent publishing house, La Manufacture de livres. The trophy for small publishing house of the year went to Monsieur Toussaint Louverture. This Bordeaux publisher has secured unexpected success in 2022 with Blackwatera saga in six volumes by the American Michael McDowell, published in 1983 and never translated into French until then.
Among other awards, the digital innovation trophy was awarded to the manufacturer of “storytellers” Bookinou and that of international success to the editions of L’Herne for an unpublished work by Simone de Beauvoir translated into nearly 40 languages, Inseparable. And the “coup de coeur” of the jury was the Internet version of Placesunpublished by Georges Perec, produced by Editions du Seuil.
Rima Abdul Malak hails “the vitality of the sector”
At the opening of the ceremony, the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak hailed in publishing “a cutting-edge profession, a profession of passion, meaning, light” and “the vitality of the sector”, with book sales “up 7% compared to 2019”.